Aircraft constructors are prompted for a number of reasons to attempt to motorize the wheels of aircraft, in particular by using drive actuators equipped with electric motors. Such a motorization in fact presents significant environmental and economical advantages (reduction of fuel consumption, reduction of noise during the taxiing phases, etc.) and makes it possible to provide new functions: piloting the aircraft on the ground remotely, manoeuvring the aircraft when the propulsion engines are switched off, taxiing in reverse, etc.
In addition to the problems posed by mass and cost, the designers and integrators of drive actuators are faced with a certain number of technical difficulties, in particular that of the deformation under load of the rim of the wheel, which makes it difficult to couple said wheel rim to a ring gear driven by the pinion of a drive actuator.